Esfandiar and the Dragon

He ordered the Wolf-headed man brought before him, that ill-minded man of bitter fate. He gave him three cups of ruby-red wine, and like a demon he grew glad from the wine. He said to him: You wretched, lowly man, tell me what tomorrow will bring. The man replied: O king of noble spirit, may all evil stay far from you. You have rushed into battle like fire, and passed through so many dangers this way. You do not know what tomorrow holds; have mercy on your own bright fortune. When you reach the next stage tomorrow, one task lies ahead worth many others. A fierce dragon will confront you, one that pulls a fish from the sea with its breath. Fire blazes from its jaws, and its body is like a mountain of granite. It would be right to turn back from this road; your soul is my witness to this advice. Have you no pity for yourself and for an army gathered under your command? He answered: You wretch, I mean to drag it back in chains. You will see that the dragon cannot escape my grip or my sharp sword. He ordered carpenters brought, and heavy timber fit for the task. A clever wooden cart was built, and blades were fixed all around it. On top the skilled, clear-minded carpenter fashioned a fine round chest. The crown-seeking man tied two costly horses inside the chest. The king sat in the chest to test it, and for a while drove the horses along the road. Wearing armor, with a Kabuli dagger, and a hero's helmet upon his head. When the trap for the dragon was ready, the world-seeker was done with this labor. The world turned dark as a Zangi's face; from the sign of Aries the moon showed its crown. Esfandiar mounted his gray horse, and the famous army rode out behind him. Next day, when the world grew bright, the banner of dark night vanished away. Pashutan came to the renowned hero, with the sons beside their brother before him. The brave world-ruler put on his war-coat and handed the army to blessed Pashutan. He brought the cart and the lion-strong chest, and the bold king climbed inside it. With two costly horses tied to it, he turned sharply toward the dragon. From afar the dragon heard the cart's noise and saw the war-horse coming near. It rose from its place like a black mountain; you would think the sky and moon had gone dark. Its two eyes were like two springs blazing with blood, and fire poured out from its jaws. When Esfandiar saw this wonder, he took refuge in God and held his breath. The horses tried to break free from its harm, but the dragon sucked them in with its breath. Its mouth gaping open like a black mountain, it stared at him, roaring. It swallowed the horses and cart down its throat; the fierce warrior inside the chest went in too. When the blades struck into its jaws, they lodged fast, and it spewed a sea of blood from its mouth. It could not push them out of its jaws, for the blades were like swords and its jaws their sheath. Wounded by the cart and its blades, its strength began to fail a little. The brave man climbed out of the chest, a sharp sword gripped in his lion's hand. With his sword he split the dragon's brain, and its poisonous smoke rose from the earth. From that smoke the hero fell senseless; he collapsed, drained of thought and strength. Pashutan came at once to the side of that renowned lord of the world. When the world-seeker opened his eyes, he called out to the proud warriors. He said: I fainted from the poison's smoke; its blow itself did me no harm. He rose from the ground and went to the water, like a man waking dazed from sleep. He asked his treasurer for fresh clothes, entered the water, and washed his head and body. He came before the pure God, writhing and weeping upon the earth. He said: Who else could have killed this dragon but one whom the Lord of the world supports? His whole army sang his praises, all bowing their heads to the ground before the Creator. They laid their heads down and said to the Maker: You are pure, flawless, and our sustainer.